¹⁰ that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and  the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; ¹¹ in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Points to Ponder:

1. The word “know” means more than just intellectual knowledge. It means something you have experienced and have first-hand knowledge of. It is like your first kiss. It is one thing to talk about it. It is entirely different to experience it! Is your knowledge of Jesus Christ intellectual or experiential?

2. Lightning can occur with both positive and negative polarity. An average bolt of negative lightning carries an electric current of 30,000 amperes (30 kA), and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 mega-joules of energy. Large bolts of lightning can carry up to 120 kA and 350 coulombs.^] An average bolt of positive lightning carries an electric current of about 300 kA — about 10 times that of negative lightning. The resurrection of Christ is more powerful than that. Have you experienced the power of His resurrection?

3. To really know someone you have to have shared life’s deepest experiences. Men who have shared foxholes together have a friendship that is like no other. To really know Christ you and I must also share His suffering. Suffering is the process. Knowing Him is the result. Are you willing to suffer with Christ?

Dear God,

It’s true… I may be the only “Bible” someone ever reads. Please help me be a living testament that is worth reading. Please work through me and help me be a light and a shelter for my non-believing friends, neighbors, coworkers. I am sitting here today, yielded to your will, and asking you to use me open the eyes of someone who has been blind his or her whole life. What an incredible blessing it would be to know I am the instrument you used to bring a person into the Kingdom of God. Lord I want to hide your Word in my heart so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to remembrance at all the right times, that the words that come forth from my mouth would honor you and point other people to you. May you be lifted high and exalted, praised, and worshiped above all.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen (Isaiah 32:3).

Reprinted by permission of the author, Os Hillman

The following is a listing of where Volunteers are needed. God Bless you as you decide where you can serve.

Please get a Volunteer form at the church or notify one of the following where you would like to serve:

Dana Wood, Chairperson 342-9214
Dee Kennedy, Member 828-586-4332
Betty Teague, Member 524-4603
                                  Volunteers                    

Annually Elected Ministry Staff:                                               Needed                                                            

1.  Church Clerk                                                                          1                           

2.  Assistant Church Clerk                                                           1                            

3.  Treasurer                                                                                1                       

4.  Assistant Treasurer                                                                1                       

5.  Men’s Ministry (Council Leader)                                            1                         

6.  Women’s Ministry (Council Leader)                                        1                        

7.  Parliamentarian                                                                     1                       

                                                                                        “ Committee”                 Committees / Ministries:                                            Members Needed                

8.  Children’s Church Coordinator                                            1                          

9.  Constitution & By Laws                                                       1                            

10.  Counting  (3 counters & 2 subs)                                         5                            

11.  Debt Retirement                                                                 2                           

12.  Facilities                                                                            1                          

13. Flower    ( 2 men to help set up and 2 ladies)                      4                            

14. Hospitality ( needs a leader)                                                1                           

15. Missions                                                                             1                           

16. Personnel                                                                           1                            

17. Senior Adult Ministry ( needs leader)                                1                            

18. Stewardship  ( elected June conference)                          1                            

19. Technology   ( PC knowledgeable person )                      1                            

20. Ushers        ( assigned and subs)                                      12                            

                                                                                    “Worker/Helpers”            Volunteer Worker/Helpers:                                              Needed                              

21.  Bereavement                                                                     Open                       

22.  Hospitality                                                                        Open                       

23.  Nursery ( need for all services)                                        Open                         

24.  Men’s Ministry                                                                  Open                         

25.  Music Ministry ( choir and instruments )                           Open                         

26.  Sunday School  ( assistant for 2-3 grade )                           1                             

27.  Sunday School Greeter                                                       1                             

28.  Team Kids  ( 4^th grade teacher & 2 subs )                            3                             

29.  Transportation ( drivers & assistants)                                   6                             

30.  Vacation Bible School – one Sat. only                            Open                           

30.  Wednesday Night Food                                                   Open                          

31.  Women’s Ministry                                                            Open                         

Pray for our military

Prayer for our Military                 

Todd Estes, Jon Bailey, Robert Mullins, Steven Aragon, William Taylor, PFC Clint Williams, Jacob Case, Josh Huggart, Derik Labaron, Jonathan Case, Michael Hardy, Eric Case, Matt Pyle, Scot Kirchman, John Church, Kirby Harwell, Brad Lego, Andrew Raby, Jennifer Lego, Bobby Emrick, SFC Charles V. Tye, Timothy Johnson, David Kakohnen, Douglas Kirchman, and Tyler Landgrover

If you have someone you want to add or delete from this military list please call the office at 828-524-5564

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done.”  Proverbs 19:17

God continues to supply for Second Mile through the generosity of the church and His people in our fellowship.  We continue to receive food donations, financial gifts, and new children’s clothing by angels as needed.  Thank you!!!

First Quarter Report

74 families (186 people) received assistance, 117 bags of food given, and 56 outfits of clothing provided for children.

Financial Expenditures: $2,293.00 rent, $2, 042.83 electric, $105.00 car gas for confirmed doctor appointments or job interviews, $190.00 heating fuel, $156.00 miscellaneous, a total of $4,786.83.

Summer Project

A special summer project is planned to provide healthy snacks for children of our clients when they come in for food. It will help parents, because the school system provides food during school months.

Here is a list of suggested items: peanut butter or cheese crackers, cereal bars, fruit, pudding, or applesauce cups, etc.  Items that don’t require cooking are needed.

Please no candy. Fresh fruit would be a problem to keep fresh.

If you desire to donate some of these items, they may be placed in the large red Second Mile Ministry container in the Church Lobby.

With grateful hearts,
Second Mile Staff

If you can help out in this ministry, please contact Amanda Jowers at 828-734-4458 or email: bradleyandamandajowers@yahoo.com to sign up.

May 6^th – Kristi Corbin, Brooke Corbin,

               Tiffanie Garrett, Betty Teague

May 13 – Kristi Corbin, Brooke Corbin,

               Dayna Corbin, Cindy Benton

May 20 – Kristi Corbin, Brooke Corbin,

              Jeff Hammaker, Dan Price

May 27 – Brooke Corbin, Candace

               Rawlinson, Patti Harrell,

              Amanda Jowers

TeamKid Wed. nights at HSBC 6:30 pm

¹Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. ²Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Psalm 100:1-2

I am often reminded of these verses when I am working with the children on Wednesday nights. I am always so blessed with how full of energy and joyful hearts the children have from the moment they walk in the door to the moment they leave. During the last few months we have focused our assembly time together before and after our classes to focus on missions and to always remember that we have to continue to love one another outside of the church walls.

In March the children found out that they had collected enough offering to purchase a goat to send to Honduras through Samaritans Purse. Then in April they chose to help June Trull who will be going to Uganda in May by collecting their offering for her for the month of April and whatever they had left from the goat and they were able to buy her the shoes she needed her trip. Now for the month of May before summer quickly runs up on us, they will collect their offering and donate it to Relay for Life, which was all their idea! I could not be prouder of our kids!

Now to wrap up TeamKids for this year, we have 3 spirit filled weeks left

May 2nd is Crazy or Funky Hat Night!
May 9th is Mismatched Night!
May 16th is Panther Pride Night

Now, May 23rd is going to be a little different. We will have dinner as normal, the kitchen will make something yummy like, hamburgers or sloppy joes and All PARENTS ARE WELCOME! Then we will all go upstairs to see the end of the year program.

The Teamkid program will end for the summer, but there will be a summer program, led by Nancy and Brandon Breedlove on Wednesday nights. They do an amazing job!

If there are any questions please contact me.
Sierra Ensley

Paul writes to the church at Colossae

May 2012

When Paul writes to the church at Colossae he says “For He (God the Father) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins… and He (Jesus) is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He himself will come to have first place in everything.” (Colossians 1:13 & 18)

Paul makes two statements about His (Jesus’) Lordship that should determine the focus of my life.  First, it’s clear that we are adopted into God’s kingdom through Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf. And second, it’s clear that “He is the beginning” and “He Himself will come to have first place in everything, “which means He is also my end goal (emphases added). So, He’s the one who purchased my life through His blood & He’s the one who’s the point of my life through His being!

Understanding these two things brings my life into focus. I do live an entrusted life & I should live with an eternal lens.

God Himself bought my life at the highest price through the life of His precious Son. Consequently, He has all rights to every part of my life. He has entrusted my life with His purpose. I do live an entrusted life!

The perfect Son of God who died that I might live is the same one who is “the beginning.” And He’s the same one who “will come to have first place in everything,” so He is the end. He was in eternity past, & He will be for all of eternity in the future.

If I know that “He will come to have first place in everything,” then I know how the story ends!  I should live with an eternal lens!

A right understanding of my entrusted life & my eternal lens will radically change the focus of my life! If He’s my purpose in this world & my goal in eternity then I must decrease & He must increase. He must come to have first place in everything!

There has been a good bit of discussion among North Carolinians concerning this proposed Marriage Amendment that will appear of the primary ballot this May 8. What you see below is the amendment and a resolution that was approved by our Deacon Committee.

Pastor Brandon and I were invited to a gathering at West Asheville Baptist Church where Mark Harris, President of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, introduced us to this amendment. I can tell you that the origin of the amendment was based on the scripture and a conservative view of morality.

We were warned that the opponents of the amendment would go to all lengths to defeat it. We were warned that a lot of resources from outside of North Carolina would be invested in defeating the amendment. We were warned that this would be turned into a political question rather than a biblical or moral question. Regrettably all of that has come true.

Please understand, I am not trying to get into the politics of this important issue. But I am willing to weigh the biblical and moral nature of it. And with that in mind, I will cast my vote in keeping with my conscience and convictions. And I would encourage you to do the same.

In Christ alone!
Pastor Ed

Constitutional Amendment on Marriage

Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts.

Resolution Concerning Marriage Amendment Act of North Carolina 2012

Whereas, biblical marriage is clearly declared as one man and one woman,

Whereas, marriage is defined as one man and one woman under Article XVIII, The Family, in the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message, Addendum Number One of the Constitution of Holly Springs Baptist Church, Inc, Franklin, NC, approved March 18, 2001, amended November 18, 2007.

Resolution: We the Deacon Committee of Holly Springs Baptist Church, meeting April 15, 2012, resolve to support the Marriage Amendment Act of North Carolina, to be voted on in the North Carolina Primary Election May 8, 2012.

Good morning, God! Thank you for another day of living. I pray that I will live it to the fullest; work my hardest; love others with a godly love; and allow you to flow through my being and out into my world to draw people to you. May I be a blessing to you today.

I love you.

Reprinted by permission of the author, Os Hillman